Acetylene-gas generator.



J. KARL.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20 1914.

1,155,422. Patented oct. 5, 1915.

STATES PATENT @FETCE JOSEPH KARL, OF VIEST PULLLVIAN, ILLINOIS.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

Application filed November 20, 1914.

To all iti/1,0m 'it may cfm cern Be it known that I, Josnrrr KARL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nest Pullman, county of yCoolnState of Illinois,

have invented a certain new and use-ful 1m-k ing plant will be so constructed that therey will remain in the feeding devices suflicient calcium carbid to permit the plant to operate in an ordinary way for al considerable period after the main tank or hopper has become empty.

A further object of my invention may be said to be to `produce a simple and novel feeding device for acetylene gasgenerators.

rlhe various features `of novelty whereby my invention is characterized willhereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference .may be had to the following detailed description talren in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section taken through a plant arranged in` accordance with a preferred form of my invention gf Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; FigB is a section on an enlarged scale in the same* plane as Fig. 1, showing the construction of the feeding devices; Fig. 4 is a sectionftaken approximately on line 1-4 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 3, with the hopperremoved. f

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents a generating reservoir adapted to contain water'to the level of the dotted line 2; 3 is the gas-receiving tank or` reservoiradapted to contain waterto the level of the dotted line, Lit; and 5 is a gas bell; all of these parts being of any usual or preferred forms or types. r

The upper portion of the main reservoir, above the water level, is divided into two parts, 6 and 7, having ianges, 8, at their Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenteil Oct. 5, 1 915.

serial No. 873,136.

meeting edges by means of which they may be fastened together. The hopper, 9, and the feeding devices are detachably arranged within the upper portions of the main reservoir, there being in the arrangementl illustrated an open-ended shell or casing, 10, provided at its upper edge with laterally projecting iianges, 11, adapted to rest between the iianges 8 of the members 6 and 7. Lying in the upper end of the shell 10 are two connected plates, 12, having at the up per edges flanges, 13, resting on the flanges 11 atthe long sides of the casing and ap- Y preaching each other at their lower ends, the plates being connected by two cross plates, 11i and 15, spaced apart farther at their upper ends than at their lower ends,

ythus forming with the plates 12 a small.

hopper open at the top and at the bottom. The main hopper, 9, rests upon or forms part of this small hopper', so that the small hopper is simply the outlet end of a main calcium carbid reservoir.

J ust below the plates 12 are ledges, 16, extending inwardly from the foiir corners of the casing 10, anden these ledges is arranged a trough-like member or container of the feeding devices; this member or container consist-ing simply of a fiat plate, 17, of

with upstanding vertical side pieces, 18,`

substantially the same length as the width of the. casing, the side Lpieces 18 being provided with flanges, 19, adapted to rest on the ledges 16. The plate, 17, is shorterthan the width of the casing 10 and is so positioned that there is a space between each of its ends and the corresponding sides of the casing. Y

Lying on top of the side pieces 18 is a feeding plate or valve, 20, whose side edges are bent over as indicated at 21 to embrace the edges of the iianges, 19, on the side pieces, 18. At one end, which may be termed the front end, the plate y2O is bent downwardly as indicated at 22, between/the two side pieces 18 into proximity with the top of the plate 17.

yThe parts are so proportioned that the plate 2O may be moved laterally along the stationary member of the feeding device, carrying the pusher end, 22, across the plate 17 from one end of thelatter to the other,

Y member 7 of the main reservoir, the plates 12 and the partsconnected therewith may be liftedy out, thus leaving a clear space above the feeding devices and permitting g these to be lifted out; or, the auxiliary casing, 10, may be lifted out as a single unit, leaving the lower end of the hopper, and the feeding Vdevices undisturbed in their relation to each other and to the casing 10.

The slide 2O is actuated by the fallingV movements of the gas bell, through suitable lever mechanism and connections which will normally hold the slide retracted, that is adjacent the right hand end of the plate 17 as view'ed in Figs. 1 and 3. In the arrangement shown, there is a bell crank lever, 25, mounted between ears, 2G, which project downwardly from the members 18 of the stationary part of the feed mechanism. One arm of the bell crank lever is connected to the slide, 20, by means of a link, 27. To the other arm ofthe lever is secured a depending rod, 24, which is connected at its lower end, ata point below the water level in the main reservoir, to a horizontally projecting arm, 2S, on the lower end of a rod, 29, which projects upwardly out of the top of the enlarged lower portion of the main reservoir; the rod, 29, passing through a tube, 29a, so arranged as to form a water seal. Theupper end of the rod 29 is secured to one end of a pivotal lever, 30, the other end of which lies in the path of movement of a finger, 31, carried by the gas bell 5 in the gas holder. g V

'Ihe parts are so proportioned that normally the weight of the links and levers causes the slide 20 to be retracted until arrested by some suitable stop as, for example, a pin or pins, 32, in position to engage with the reary end of the slide and holding the slide with its depending pusher plate 22 just at the left of the mouth of the hopper.

Assuming the plant to be in operation with the hopper 9 containing a supply of carbid which flows out upon and to the right hand edge of the plate 17, and that the gas is being withdrawn from the bell faster than it is being generated: The bell will gradually sink until the finger, 31, engages with the lever, 30, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, at whichtime the bottom of the bell is at a considerable distance above the bottom of the reservoir, 3, and a continued downward movement of the bell will result in a movement of the slide 2O towa-rd the right, causing some of the carbid to drop over the edge of the plate 17 and into the water below. This results in a rapid generation of gas, so that before the bell has fallen more than half an inch or so, the gas will be supplied to it in suiiicient quantities tocause it to rise in the usual way. As soon as the bell rises, the slide and its operating mechanism resume their normal positions and a sufficient quantity of carbid flows from Vthe `hopper down upon the plate 17 to compensate for that which was dropped down into the water on the preceding feeding movement. As the gas generated from the charge just fed into the water is consumed, the bell again begins to settle until it causes a new Y charge to be fed in the manner heretofore described. When the hopper is emptythere is still a considerable amount of carbid on the plate 17 so that thereafter the bell must settle a little lower each vtime inorder to deliver a charge of carbid, the stroke of the slide gradually increasing until finally the bell settles on the bottom of the reservoir 3 and either the accompanying movement of the slide is insuicient to push any more carbid from the platform or plate 17 or, depending upon the proportion of the parts, the supply of carbid is entirely exhausted.

The value of maintaining what may be termed a reserve supply of carbid in the feeding devices is that the user will always know, as long as there lis any carbid in the hopper, thatthe plant will beoperative for at least a predetermined length of time. In other words, he will know that if there is any carbid in the hopper in the evening the plant will be operative, for example, until the ynext morning so that there will be no danger of the lights going out during the night.

If desired, a suitable alarm or signaling device of any kind'may be associated with the apparatus so that whenever the hopper becomes empty and the bell sinks below the predetermined point at which a normal charge is ordinarily fed, an alarm is sounded ora signal given to apprise the user of the fact that the hopper is empty. In the arrangement shown, there is a small electri- Callyoperated bell,40, inthe circuit of which is a small controlling switch, d1, in hlpath of movement of a finger, 42, on the e through the alarm Abell unless the gas bell settles below the point necessary for a normal feeding movement of the slide 20.

lVhile I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which The finger does not close a circuit come within the terms employed in the delinitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

l claim:

l. In an apparatus of the character described, a generating. reservoir,A a gas-receiving bell, a hopper for containing calcium carbid, an elongated trough lying beneath the hopper and adapted to receive carbid therefrom, a slide movable lengthwise in said trough to discharge carbid therefrom and having a part serving as a valve to close the outlet end of the hopper, said trough being of such length as to hold suflicient carbid to form a considerable number of individual charges, and operating connections for said slide including a device in the path of move ment of a part on the bell for intermittently reciprocating said slide through approximately equal short distances as long as the hopper contains a supply of carbid and through progressively increasing distances after the hopper has been emptied until the trough-like member has been emptied.

2. ln an apparatus of the character described, a casing open at the top, inwardly projecting shoulders on the casing in a plane below the top, a flanged trough extending across said casing and having its flanges resting on said shoulders, the member forming the bottom of the trough being cut away at each end, a hopper supported in the casing above said trough, a combined pusher and valve for the hopper arranged within said trough.

8. n an apparatus of the character described, a generating reservoir, a gas receiving bell, a hopper for containing calcium carbid, an elongated trough lying beneath the hopper and adapted to receive carbid therefrom, ya slide movable lengthwise in said trough to discharge carbid therefrom and having a part serving as a valve to close the outlet end of the hopper, said trough being of suicient length to hold a considerable number of individual charges of carbid, and operating connections for said slide including a device in the path of movement ot a part on the bell, said operating connections having no positive connection with the bell and tending constantly to hold said slide in one end ot the trough, the parts being so constructed and arranged that upon each descent of the bell to a predetermined point it causes said slide to move from the normal starting point a distance suicient to feed a i JOSEPH KARL.

Witnesses:

WM. F. FRENDENREIT, RUTH E. ZETTERVALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

